When Someone Says "it's So Sweet"

When you make a dessert and someone says "It's so sweet" but then they say nothing else. What do you think of that statement? Do they hate it? Does it mean it's awful to them? Is it just a simple observation? I never know how to take that statement. Am I overthinking it? Just wondering what other people think of it.

If it's about the design it's positive, if it's about the taste it is usually negative (depending on non-verbal cues of course). Palates can vary widely, we have used the same BC recipe for years and we occasionally have people saying it's too sweet or not sweet enough.

If you're unsure what they mean you could always request clarification.

I would pay more attention to the inflection and tone of voice when they say something like that and it would depend on the item and circumstance. If it's a cake tasting then I would say you have a client that would prefer a different type of cake/frosting etc. It's okay to ask follow-up questions to that statement as well such as "I'm sorry you find it too sweet, do you prefer swiss buttercream over american buttercream?" etc. Some people just naturally don't like overly sweet things. Oddly enough I'm not really a fan of cake and tons of frosting but I love making them so even though I don't mind testing what I sell I would prefer cheesecake over cake if I had a choice. lol

They usually mean that they want something with more of a whipped cream icing - less sweet - like Italian Meringue Buttercream. THEN tell them to get real, it's not called sweets for nothing. They'd probably turn their noses up at fudge too.

Anyhow my Dad likes to complain about icing all the time while eating the entire slice. We just ignore him - LOL But his favorite icing is whipped cream, but we all know that it can be difficult to work with. So I just make what I want and he bitches while eating it. So it can't be that bad really because he always finishes his slice.

So I don't think the comment means much really. I think their actions mean more. If they don't eat it, then it's not for them. If they are like my Dad and eat it all. The comment doesn't mean anything really. Like Paperfishies said, they just like to bitch. Like my Dad LOL

I gave up trying to mind read other peoples' comments.I agree with those saying of course it's sweet, it's dessert. If I'm with a friend (or some people at work) I tell them if they didn't want sweet I would have made a meatloaf covered with mashed potatoes, it can be decorated just like a cake. But I'm sarcastic like that.

The first thing that comes to mind mind every time I hear that comment is..." IT"S CAKE AND FROSTING...it's SUPPOSE to be sweet! DUH!"

If people don't like sweet, then don't order cake! Seems so simple to me.

KimAZ

I love large glasses of southern sweet tea. I look forward to seeing relatives in North Carolina because I know when I order a glass of tea I am not going to be asked sweetened or unsweetened. And while this may seem like blasphemy there is a point for me where sweet tea becomes too sweet--when my teeth are candied there is too much sugar. That does not mean I should not order sweet tea because I have found places to have a pleasantly sweet sweet tea.

If this was their general reaction to cake then yeah I would agree. However just as I can find there to be too much sugar in a batch of sweet tea I do not think people who claim a cake is too sweet simply should not order cake either. While some may be looking for something to complain about it is simply unfair to characterize all those who make this claim in these terms. In many cases it is an honest assessment, it is not a slight or attack merely an expression of taste. It may not be the most tasteful way, but unless everyone is making the claim I simply note their comment and focus on the majority of others who are gleefully enjoying the cake.

Desserts today have taken on a sweetness that didn't exist in the past and the super sweet taste is also rarely found in fine desserts.

The Crisco/powdered sugar frosting is relatively new and packs a super sugar punch, much like artificial desserts. Coupled with box mixes and the additions like pudding mix, you get sugar on top of sugar plus artificial sugar.

Sometimes that mouthful of sugar overload is not pleasant to everyone. Others love it.

None of my desserts are overly sweet. They are more balanced and center on each of the fine ingredients, not a sugar overload.

I personally will not eat a dessert that is based on how much sugar you can get into a square inch. Even my candies are balanced.

So even though I may not comment, I will leave it on my plate uneaten. So do many people. They just don't say anything.

My husband was raised in a family where his brother had diabetes at a very young age. His mother the nurse took ALL sugar out of the house for the entire family. So a tiny bit of sweet to him is killer horrible. When I make an apple pie for his family I use a blend of sweet and tart apples and I taste them. I add an additional 2 to 4 Tbsp of sugar to a 10-inch deep dish pie that usually uses around 4-5 pounds of apples.

Now let's say that I'm making this exact same pie for MY mother. It's the opposite. She can eat a spoonful of sugar and say it isn't sweet enough!!! I use 1 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar in her pie or she will throw a FIT and spit it out. Yes, she did this. In front of a lot of guests I had spend three days cooking for. Everyone is loving my pie and eating huge pieces and my mother spits it out and gets up and brings my gallon jar of sugar to the table and then proceeds to spoon sugar on top of the pie. Then she eats it.

Aaaaaaahhhh. Family.

I guess my point is that everyone judges the sweet different. Since the whipped cream/topping icing has been used by bakeries for a while now, many people think that is what icing tastes like. It's funny because it has a good amount of sugar in it, but they cook it up in a laboratory so all that fat balances it out.

My buttercream is creamy and delicious and I love it. However there are still people who exclaim "It's sooo sweet!!!!"

I agree it really depends on the person. She could have meant it as a compliment or not.

The first time I mad MMF, I thought it was really sweet. I couldn't imagine covering a whole cake with it. I asked my kids (4,9, & 11 at the time) if it was too sweet. They looked at me like my head was going to fall off and all said I was being silly because it could never be too sweet. My husband, on the other hand, does find it too sweet and peels it off.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and opinions. I've decided to go with "to each their own" and try not to worry too much about it...except if someone spits out something I make..then I'll worry. My first thought was also...it's dessert, it's supposed to be sweet so what does that mean?! After I thought about it though I think she ate the MMF that was covering the cake which I wouldn't eat it either! Too too much! But yet that's the first part my kids would eat.Where I'm from no one puts it on cake and most people have never even heard of it. SMBC either. Also, if it's not chocolate, vanilla, or marble cake bought from a store it's too exotic which the cake I had made was a sort of tropical cake flavor with coconut pineapple curd. (Which my husband said was the best cake he's ever eaten...isn't he sweet?;o) Which usually I only make scratch cake but this particular cake was wasc. Now my husband says he only likes scratch cakes, so imagine his surprise when I told him what it was. Gasp! Wha?! I guess you just never know what someone will like/dislike. So yeah, I just need to realize that while I would obviously love for everyone to rave about everything I make that's not going to be reality because everyone has different tastes...and today...I'm ok with that

Thanks for sharing! I had the same response the other day - I've used the same BC recipe, and the same customer said one was too sweet, and the other received compliments of it not being too sweet... what gives? it's frosting!